Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail was on hand for opening day of Hanceville’s pool. (Nick Griffin for The Tribune)

HANCEVILLE - The Hanceville pool re-opened for the summer at Saturday morning at C.W. Day Park, and there are a couple of small changes coming with the rates. Children 1 and younger get in for free; 1-5-year-olds, Wallace State students and seniors get in for $3; 6-12-year-olds are $4; and 13-year-olds and older can swim for $5. Season passes will also be available this summer: $60 for individuals, $150 for a family of three, $200 for a family of four and $225 for a family of five.

Hanceville Mayor Kenneth Nail was on-hand at the pool Saturday morning and talked a little about the work done on the pool and how much it means to so many of the local kids that use it.

“This year it’s definitely been a challenge to get the pool up and running. The council actually voted back during the winter to close the pool for good. We had some black mold issues, so the council voted to hire a professional company, Burleson Pool, out of Huntsville, Alabama that came in and it was pretty pricey, about $5,000 to professionally clean the pool and make sure it’s safe,” he said. “I’ll tell you, the water really looks good. It just looks so good and we appreciate (Park Director) Ashley (Dye) and everybody that has done a lot of work to get this thing up and going. You know it’s all about the kids and that’s what we want to do is have a place for the kids to come that’s safe and they can enjoy themselves. A lot of kids walk to this pool, a lot of kids still ride a bike here and if this pool closed, the next closest one I guess would be the (Cullman Wellness &) Aquatic Center and they can’t walk or ride a bike over there.”

Nail also has an idea for a way to get more kids into the pool who may not be able to afford it. He is encouraging anyone who wishes to help out, to buy a $60 season pass at Hanceville City Hall so that it can be used for a child that wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy the pool.

“Something we are going to ask is, there are some people out there that are interested in the pool and they want the pool to continue to be open. I’m shooting for 10 people that will go to city hall and pay the $60 for some children that may not be able to afford that. They can go to city hall and if they don’t even want to leave their name they can leave the money there and we’ll give them a receipt,” he said. “I’m hoping at least 10 people will go down there and buy 10 passes and we’ll look at situations and if there is a child that is indigent and can’t afford to come to the pool, we’ll be able to slide them in and kind of sponsor that child for the summer. I’m hoping to at least get 10 of those; I’m putting the call out there for folks that want to see the pool open. That’s not for folks who can afford it and don’t want to pay, that’s for children who really can’t afford it.”

The Hanceville pool is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays are reserved for pool parties from 2-6:30 p.m. For more information, call 256-735-6549.